Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Scheming teetotal bastards

Bunch of lying scum. That's how I'd describe the British temperance movement in the early decades of the 20th-century. They also weren't averse to a bit of opportunism. They saw WW I as their big chance to impose prohibition on Britain. Bastards.

Did they really care that much about the war effort? Probably not. Bunch of bigots and fanatics that they were, many would doubtless have traded defeat for prohibition.

HINDERS THE ARMY & NAVY
delays munitions and transport, causes inefficiency, slows down shipbuilding and repairs.

DECREASES SHIPPING
During twenty months of war shipping has been used for 1,400,000 tons of brewery and distilling materials; consequently the nation is suffering in tonnage for munitions.

WASTES FOOD
During the war period two and half million tons of food have been destroyed to make beer and other intoxicants. The War Savings Committee says :—
"IF THIS FOOD HAD BEEN AVAILABLE PRICES OF BREAD AND MEAT WOULD BE LOWERED."

DIVERTS RESOURCES
Each year it takes the labour of 500,000 workers ; uses one million acres of arable land; one and half million tons of coal; railway stock and haulage which might better purpose.

SHATTERS MORAL STRENGTH
Relaxes the nation's energy. It is a temptation to women; imperils the home and child life, and is the ally of immorality and disease.

SQUANDERS MONEY
During the war period 300 million pounds have been wasted on drink, which is the measure of untold financial, social and economic evils.

PROHIBITION
Would set free men, money, energy, and consequently
SHORTEN THE WAR.

SIGN THIS MEMORIAL TO THE GOVERNMENT.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL TO THE GOVERNMENT.
We, the undersigned, being impressed with the necessity of avoiding all waste, and of utilising fully the moral and material resources of the nation, and being convinced that the present enormous consumption of intoxicating drink is the most dangerous enemy of national efficiency, health and economy, hereby urge his Majesty's government to prohibit the manufacture, import, export and common sale of intoxicating liquors during war and for six months afterwards.

Name Address Town or Parish

Persons over 16 years of age should sign this, cut it out and post it in a halfpenny envelope before July 25th to the Secretaries, 3 Clare Avenue, Bristol, from whom more memorials may be obtained."
Western Daily Press - Saturday 15 July 1916, page 6.

"It is a temptation to women" This is such a recurring theme. Worrying about women drinking. Particularly working class women. They kept going on about it in the 19th century. It continues today. See how often the media get all self-righteous about drunken women or display images of women collapsed in a drunken heap on the street. There's something horribly condescending about it. Continuing the Victorian idea of women being weak, helpless creatures in need of strong moral guidance (from men).

Thankfully, these idiots never got their way. Beer production was severely restricted, but wasn't prohibited. Teetotallers were, however, allowed to continue with this sort of crap right through the war. That some prominent member to government were "teetotal" must have helped.

That stuff about prohibition only lasting until 6 months after the end of the war. A downright lie. Once they had got prohibition passed, temperance campaigners would have fought tooth and nail to keep it.

Temperance groups tried the same thing in WW II and were almost immediately told to shut up, as their campaigning was bad for morale. Churchill had time for such bollocks and insisted on supplies of beer for those fighting. Good on him.